Gethsemane and the problem of pain
I’ve never been one of those people who has questioned why God “allows” pain, or natural disasters, or what have you. That’s never really been my bag. I guess my reasoning is that if God’s only Son came to earth to suffer and die for us, then how can we, His creations, His sons an daughters, surely, but not His SON, think we can escape it? It is part of life, from time immemorial. God no more “allows” it than he “allowed” Eve to eat from the tree. Part of free will is the consequences.
What about cancer? What about my own situations? (for more, check out The Bucket) Well, I’ve always thought God set nature in motion, as it says in Genesis. And sometimes, nature does it own crazy whacked-up things. This doesn’t just apply to humans, but to natural disasters as well. I don’t think they’re the “punishment” of God. In fact, my favorite Bible verse says just the opposite:
John 9:1-3:
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. [2] And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” [3] Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. (RSV)
That is my philosophy. God can work through us, if we let him. It’s why I find the Church’s doctrine of Redemptive Suffering, which has been enunciated by such luminaries as JP the Great and St. Therese of Lisieux, so profound and attractive. Nothing is wasted in Catholicism if we join our sufferings to Christ.
The above quote also is why I get made when people say that if you are sick, or some misfortune has befallen you, that you “Didn’t pray enough” or “don’t have enough faith.” Bullcrap. Not having “enough” faith is something Jesus totally discounts. He says that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed we can accomplish great things. Now anyone who cooks knows a mustard seed isn’t very big. So having a lot of faith must not be a prerequisite. Of course prayer in times of distress is a good thing to do (prayer is always a good thing to do, no matter what. It is vital to the spiritual life.). But not having enough faith or failing to “pray through,” as some say, doesn’t have anything to do with your circumstances. God gives you no more than you can handle (Paul says that, somewhere in Corinthians, I think…I’ll look it up for you), but, as Mother Teresa said, “I wish He didn’t trust me so much.” Even saints had trouble with God’s plan sometimes.
Even Jesus had trouble with it. Below I posted the Gospel passages related to Gethsemane. He didn’t want to die. He must have really loved life on Earth, to be that sorowful in the garden. I find it comforting to know that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph experienced everything a human being can experience. Jesus was truly human and yet truly divine. It is a great mystery we will never be able to fully comprehend. But when I need a boost, I remember Jesus in the garden. He was with us, suffering as one of us.
If you’ve ever seen (or listened to) Jesus Christ Superstar, you probably remember the song “Gethsemane(I only want to say)” in Act II. It’s a powerful piece of music, and while some may consider it slightly sacrilegous, there are parts that speak a great truth of the human experience. If you’ve willed yourself to God and have placed your life in His hands, then these lines will ring true to you:
Then I was inspired.
Now I”m sad and tired.
After all, I’ve tried for three years.
Seems like ninety.
Why then am I
Scared to finish
What I started?
What you started–I didn’t start it.
God, Thy Will is hard
But you hold ev’ry card
I will drink your cup of poison
Nail me to your cross and break me
Bleed me, beat me
Kill me, take me now
Before I change my mind.
Now
Before I change my mind.
Now
Before I change my mind.
There is also an opposite idea, found in Milton’s Paradise Lost. In it, Jesus begs God the Father to send him to earth to redeem humanity. He can’t bear to see us seperated from God and wants to bring us home. Both of these renditions can give us something to think about as Holy Week starts tomorrow.
